Boys BasketballIt wasn’t a typical Lawrence High School boys basketball season, but the Cardinals gave their fans plenty to cheer about this year and could be the area’s best sub-.500 squad.
By: Mike Molaro
Checking in at 8-16 overall (6-12 in the rugged Colonial Valley Conference), the Cardinals capped their campaign with a solid 77-57 road triumph on Feb. 19 over a Pennington Prep team that two days later captured its second-straight Prep B state championship.
Two days later, the Cardinals closed the season with a 62-53 down-to-the-wire setback at powerful Nottingham.
"We played very well in both games," Lawrence head coach Pat Tarrant said. "I was happy to see our intensity level remain high for both games.
"It’s tough to get up for games at the end of the year that don’t mean anything in the standings, but this team never, ever quit."
Junior forward Kevin Schneider led all scorers with 18 points (six three-pointers) against the Red Raiders in the "Mercer County Challenge" while junior guard Matt Bozzone added 12.
Senior center Pat Gill, senior guard Rob Wadley, and sophomore forward Chris Gregory each contributed 10.
"We moved the ball extremely well against Pennington," added Tarrant. "Kevin (Schneider) shot very well and that was very helpful to us.
"Pennington had to extend its defense and we got a lot of baskets underneath from our big men. We had five guys in double figures. This was a good, solid team effort."
Bozzone topped the Cardinals with 19 points against the Northstars and Wadley and Gregory had six apiece.
Lawrence held a 23-21 advantage in field goals but Nottingham outscored the Cardinals, 12-5, from the free throw line.
"The guys knew it was their last game of the season and they played their hearts out," Tarrant said. "We moved the ball well and we stayed with them the entire game.
"I was very pleased to end the season with this type of effort against a quality team like Nottingham.
"The seniors played well in their final game and the young guys showed a lot of promise for next year. Matt (Bozzone) had an excellent all-around game and I’m looking forward to working with him next year."
The Cardinals entered this season as unknown quantity to themselves, their fans, and their opponents.
Hit hard by graduation, Lawrence knew it would go as far as its younger guys would carry the burden.
They hit some roadblocks early on, but this resilient squad learned from its losses and came to play every game, according to their coach.
"This is a real good group of guys," added Tarrant. "We started to get compliments at the end of the year from other teams and officials. That’s nice to see. We were not an easy team to play against. Our record was not indicative of the season we had.
"Some games didn’t go away. We played a lot of exciting games. Sometimes we were just a missed shot or a turnover away from winning. I saw a lot of improvement in this team this year. It was a very enjoyable season for me personally."
The Cardinals will surely miss the services of senior guard Patt Haggerty next season.
"One of the best things about this season was being able to coach someone like Pat Haggerty," Tarrant said. "You don’t get a chance to coach a guy like him very often. He’s a great plus for our program. He’s a special young man."
The victories didn’t come as often as the Cardinals would’ve liked, but there was never any doubt about their character.
"The kids didn’t quit and that’s a tribute to them," Tarrant said. "It was very satisfying to see them battle until the end.
"We didn’t make the state tournament and it would’ve been easy for them to hang it up, but the guys hung in there.
"I’m excited about next season."